AmberLaine's Journal, 09 October 2015

cheating on low carb never works for me.. good luck with that..  

Agree. Cheating on low carb just stalls ketosis and then you spend the next 3 days getting back to it. I'd opt for low carb ice cream. Pizza will just kill your metabolism. Good luck! 

I've read from multiple sources that people who take a cheat day are more likely to stick to their diet. Further, studies show that by delaying (not denying) cravings you are less likely to overindulge when you can enjoy them. Also, the 4 Hour Body book pretty much tells you to.  

I've never liked the word "cheating"...it's just eating and making choices. You can use a low-carb tortilla, toast it, thrown on some sauce, cheese, pepperoni, then do some low-carb ice cream with sugar free chocolate sauce. Carbs may be still be a bit higher but nothing close to eating the regular pizza and ice cream.  

Why are you having a cheat day so soon? Don't you want to have some serious weight losses first, so that you're not sabotaging any progress you may have made? Otherwise, you're just going to be like a gerbil on a wheel, forever dieting with no results. 

About two months into my weight loss, and almost ten pounds, I stopped doing my once a week cheat day. The difference was remarkable. After a couple weeks, I noticed that my overall energy levels were dropping. I talked with a physical therapist and he said cheat days are necessary to the process, because they restore the glucogen (fast burn) levels that have been depleted during the week. He said you should consume an extra ~1,000 calories on that day, and most of them should be from carbs.  

Once a month I have a free food day. Yes it does slow down the weight loss but I found out that I do much better overall with cravings that way. Now if I want something it's not that I can never have it, it's I can have it in a few weeks/days. I'm not tempted to change my WOE or cheat because I know I can have it soon enough. 

I agree the "cheating" helps but instead of pizza try a atkins pizza instead... I agree with soonsoon. its too soon. Ive been low carb for 10 months and I still wont eat pizza...  

i'd never heard of the slow carb diet so did some reading up on it. interesting premise. lots of restrictions, not sure it would work for me. the one day a week cheat day seems like it would throw out any good done during the rest of the week. do you watch calories on this diet or on the cheat day? or is it completely just eat until you feel satisfied? i'm really interested to know how it turns out for you so please let us know! 

Do the unsweetened dark chocolate for me. I haven't had some in months. LoL.  

That's really rude. At least other people who disagreed with my "cheat day" spoke of it in a constructive way. And I am free to journal about whatever I want. Thanks for the comment. 

Hi AmberLaine... Cheat days are perfectly legitimate. Your right, it does help to stay on the diet..in fact 2 or 3 cheats week is ok. It really does help, so we don't feel deprived. I love ice cream..cake..peanut butter...pizza and many other things. To say I will never eat them again is crazy..because I will. Do whatever works for you. :) 

You decide your future! Motivation can be so hard to find on this journey. Make good choices for the love of yourself. There will always be another "reason" to eat food that isn't the best thing for you. That's how most of us got here in the first place. You can't reach the destination if you keep backpedaling. Do we all slip up a bit? Sure we do. But try other measures before that cheat! Other members mentioned making the cheat with healthier versions of foods you are jonesing for and also that it is too soon to veer off course. I agree with them. You joined and journal for support. There are wonderful, supportive people on this site! Listen and learn from them. You CAN do this. You deserve it. We love to hear success stories...be one that we'll remember! 

RickZier, I think your being a little hard on her when you won't even put your Bio where others can see it. Also 8-10 pounds a week would depend on a lot of things some on here don't have much to loose but health issues make it very slow. 

I don't agree with the way RickZier said it but I agree with what he said about what can happen in 10 months... I did EXACTLY what Rick said down to the CLA's , fish oil and gym membership and well, I've lost almost 80 lbs in 10 months and Ive posted a ton of photos to back it up. I don't know Rick at all prior to this post and I do think his comment IS aggressive and in your face but what he is saying has truth.. All though 10 lbs week? Maybe week 1 of low carb but after that 1-2 lbs a week is the healthy way to lose weight. 10lbs a week and your ass will be sagging to your feet bc of all the extra skin.. Amber, my mom always says, when we lie we are only lying to ourselves.Be honest with yourself. This is your journey.. only you can take it so make it count..  

I think someone needs some carbs in their life. No reason to be a dack bro. Brb eating 200g of carbs..more shredded than you.  

Good luck AmberLaine! Don't worry about what others say. This is your journal and your life. Some of the advice is good. Support is always great. I support you. Just don't give up! You can do this! I used to dream about having a wonderful cheat day way back then. Then I would talk myself out of it before "the day". Now that I have lost so much weight, if I have a time where I go "off" I don't worry about it so much. I just get right on back and work at it some more. 

Every one is different with different approaches to getting and maintaining the necessary mind-set to be successful in the journey to better health. Your idea of having an cheat day can be necessary to getting into the mode of doing all of the things that RickZler prescribes. Some people start slowly and then fine-tune their own process along the way. Some are passionate, very detailed about every step and adamant that their way is the only or best way. Personally, i do best with a closely watched diet and am just learning about macros. When I have a cheat day, I find it harder to go back to doing what works. What I really like is to not have to think about any of the things that work. That freedom for even one day spells disaster for me. While RickZler's delivery of this information was blunt and and in some degree judgmental or unkind, he was also the one who may prove to be your best support in how to reach your goal. His passionate rant included detailed information that could prove helpful and a desire to see you succeed as quickly as possible. Sometimes help comes in a form that is hard to receive. So recognize your tremendous worth, give yourself the love you would give your children. Take as good care of yourself as you would the kids. This journey to better health is not easy, very few things worthwhile are. So many of us would love to see you gain a healthy and happy life.  

How is slow carb going for you? How do you feel? 

How did today go?